Dancing, Singing, Circling
We celebrate Mercy in music with “Dancing, Singing, Circling.” Composed by Sister Claudette Schiratti, the song rejoices in Mercy and the ways joy can ease life’s burdens.
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Celebrate Mercy in Justice
On September 24, we will celebrate the 195th anniversary of the day Catherine McAuley opened the doors of the House of Mercy on Baggot Street. This began her ministry of serving the poor, the sick, and those in need of education. Today we Celebrate Mercy in Justice with two reflections from two Sisters of Mercy!
A Works of Mercy Cross
By Sister Celeste Marie Nuttman — It was a joy and challenge when a Mercy sister asked me to make a cross for Taizé prayer. When many more such requests came from Mercy and from others, each was a call to prayer, conversation with those commissioning it, research and design. I chose to use the San Damiano cross as my “jumping off point” for design and as I moved along to 10 more crosses, I had the opportunity to develop my own visual theology of the resurrection and of our vow of service.
Attention and Encouragement, an Informal Education
By Sister Anna Regina Gakuhi — In my ministry at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Jamaica, I work with a group of men and women in the dietary and housekeeping departments. Most of these staff members have not completed their formal education. I engage with them to help them improve their skills, which helps improve their performance. Not only does this result in quality service and products, but it also boosts self-esteem and creates a joy in work as they each serve to their best capacity.
Celebrating Mercy in Poetry
As we continue to “Celebrate Mercy” in a wide variety of ways, today Sister Mary Bilderback shares her gift of poetry and reflection!
What Shall We Wear and Celebrate on September 24, 2022?
By Sister Mary C. Sullivan
— What gift did God give the Mercy family on September 24, 1827, and what does God ask of us on that day? I often ponder these questions—especially when the ancient feast of Our Lady of Mercy approaches each year.
Frances Warde: The Great Mother
By Sister Julia Upton — “You never knew her. I knew her better than I have known anybody in my life. She was a woman of God, and God made her a woman of vision. She showed me what it meant to be a Sister of Mercy, to see the world and its people in terms of God’s love; to love everyone who needed love; to care for everyone who needed care. Now her vision is driving me on. It is a glorious thing to be a Sister of Mercy!”
Engaging in Midterms Elections to Protect Our Democracy
By Sister Rose Marie Tresp, Institute Justice Team — Why should we vote? How can we strengthen the power of voting in our local, state and national elections? John Lewis, late civil-rights activist and member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia, stated: “The vote is precious. It is the most powerful non-violent tool we have in a democratic society, and we must use it.” Although national elections often receive the most attention, the outcome of elections at the state level may determine a significant number of decisions about laws and regulations related to our Critical Concerns.
Take Me With You
By Sister Cynthia Serjak — “Take me with you, Hyacinth, I will make the burden light.” The year was 1241 and the city of Kyiv was under siege. Hyacinth, a local monk, ran to the sanctuary to take the Blessed Sacrament to a safe place. As he turned to leave, he heard a pleading voice: “Take me with you, Hyacinth.” He realized it was the image of Our Lady of Kyiv, begging to be rescued.
Healing Earth in the Rio Grande Valley: A ‘Women of Mercy’ Story
By Catherine Walsh, Features Writer – Something special has happened over the years since the Sisters of Mercy first started ministering with the people of the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas, near the U.S./Mexico border, in 1875. The sisters and the women, children, and families of the Mexican immigrant community have formed a tight bond. And in recent years they have forged a mutual commitment to the Mercy mission of caring for Earth. In fact, they have put Earth at the center of their work together this year at four ARISE Adelante community centers that are co-sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy and the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word.
More Alike Than Different
Since 1998, the Mercy Ambassadors Program offers students at Colegio Santa Ethnea (Bella Vista, Buenos Aires, Argentina) and U.S. Mercy schools the opportunity to participate in a foreign exchange study. After a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the cycle that started in February 2020 was completed in June 2022. Lucía García Fernández, who heads the program in Argentina, shared the following: Within the framework of the Mercy Ambassadors Program (MAP), Lily Adams and Anna Koeberlein, students from Assumption High School (Louisville, Kentucky) visited Colegio Santa Ethnea during the month of June. They shared school life for three weeks, at all levels and in all the areas of our school. Before returning home, they expressed their gratitude for this incredible experience, full of memories that they will keep in their hearts forever.
Formation at the Border
By Sister Luz-Eugenia Alvarez — From the time I began formation in the novitiate (a phase in the process of becoming a Sister of Mercy), I knew that, following the completion of classes on the vow of service, there was the possibility I would go to the U.S.-Mexico border. This past June, I did. I traveled to the border between McAllen, Texas, and Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico, to learn about how the sisters serve immigrants there.